colindo94 fullwidth swap

Well it's about time to start collecting the parts I need for the swap. I wiil be using a Dana 44 front axle and a fullsize 8.8" rear end from a 89 fullsize bronco. please give me any kind of insight on what I plan to use. All commentary is wanted

Edited with final parts
Dana 44 from 76 f-150
-78-79 coil spring towers spaced out with 3x4 steel
-Wildhorse crawler 5.5" coil springs.
-F-250 shock towers
-5.13 Yukon ring and pinion
-Master overall kit.
-Warn primium hubs.
-Cage offroad radius arms.
-78-79 stock tie rod
-Explorer stock drag link
-custom trackbar with heims. Bottom heim is a 3/4" heim and top is a 5/8" heim with 1.5" .25 wall DOM.
-Stock 76 f-150 trackbar bracket welded to a 3/16" plate of steel.
-7* C bushing kit.
-Bilstein 14" travel 5100 shocks
-Open Differential for now
-Timkin wheel bearings and seals.
-All new disk brakes and custom stainless steel brakelines

Fullwidth 8.8 from a 88 bronco
-5.13 Yukon ring and pinion
-Master install kit.
-weld on spring perches/ u bolts/ shock mounts. mountainoffroad.com
-custom shackles that are the same length of warrior shackles.
-skyjacker Add-a-leaf
-Lockright
-new drums with stock fullsize bronco e-brake cables and custom frame bracket.
-skyjacker extended brakeline for explorer.
-extended diveshaft with 1310/1330r basterd u-joint.

Wheels and tires
-36x12.5" TSL Radials
-15x8" black steel rockcrawler wheels.

 

[colindo94]

Same here. I am waiting on the mail man with my cage radias arms. I couldn't wait for the new brackets. It seemed like it was delayed a week every week. Yea the ranchos are being considered also. I've heard some good things about both ranchos and bilstien. Were did you pick up your shocks and for how much?

 

[jrgaylor]

I bought two of my Rancho shocks off ebay and the other two I ordered from les schwabs somewhere online I found the spec sheet of the extended and collapsed lengths of their different 9000X shocks and went looking for deals, I got the 2 off ebay for ~$80 new the others were $90 Ea.
These shocks solved the wobble I had and so many others also have/had when lifting a TTB rig and now with the solid axle any one who rides in my rigs almost always comments on the Cadillac ride offroad.

 

[a711112a]

colindo94 is ther a place for the abs sensor on the 88 8.8 full size axel ?
i have the 9 in in mine and am thinking bout using the 8.8 so i can get the abs back

 

[colindo94]

Finally got something done on the truck yesterday. I got the new u-joints in and the balljoints in the knuckles. I used a trick I found on BMX's sas thread that he had a link for. It worked really well. FOr the ball joints I just used the ball joint tool and they went really easy as well.

 

[colindo94]

I also ended up doing the rear brakes. I had to go to the junkyard a couple of times because I didn't have the brakes to begin with when I got the axle so I had to start from scratch. This was the first time I have ever done a drum brake rebuild, but going to the junkyard and taking apart old drum really helped. Also the haynes manual was a good resource.

also that tool in the top of the pic was a great help.

After the brakes were on I got the hard lines connected and the e brake lines on. I'm using stock 88 f-150 ebrake lines on both sides. I have no idea yet how I will tie this all in, but I will figure it out later.

 

[colindo94]

My brother and I managed to get this heavy rebuilt axle under the truck and since I got the tires mounted and balanced we have the rear of the truck sitting on its own wait. The u bolts I got were a bit too short but they treaded a little and I will get some new ones soon. The rear brakes are all adjusted and the brake line is connected. All there is left to to for the rear is the ebrake. I'm not sure how I will do this so suggestions would be great. Here are some pics. I went with the 36x12.5 tsl radials. With a black steel wheel.

Nice and wide

I will get some better pictures when it's not so dark out later.

 

[a711112a]

i used the stock explorere break cables they fit the 9 in and probly will fit the 8.8 i did have to relocate the bracket 2 inches to the rear and one inch up
but now you have to pull the drum breaks half way apart to put them on

 

[a711112a]

so is ther a spot for the antilockbreak sensor on the 8.8 full size ??????

 

[lifeguard379]

looks great so far. i cant wait to get my rear axle in. (waiting on a friend with my gears )

 

[colindo94]

Yes there is a place for the ABS sensor on the full width 8.8. I have it in there to block the hole it leavs when its out, but its unpluged. I won't need this sensor for speed right?
I know how you feel about waiting on gears. I had to send mine back because it wasn't done right the first time, but now it has the 5.13 and lockright so I'm happy.
I have to wait on the radius arms now so I can start the front. They are taking forever to get here.

 

[Burns]

Ah i have the same tires. If your front end ever gets out fix it right when you see the prob. These tires will mess up quick if out of allingment. Trust me. I just went throught that crap. But i like the tires tho.

 

[colindo94]

Well I just talked to the guy about my radius arms. The hiems were on back order so they won't even be shipped out till about wendsday. Then I'm going back to maryland this friday for a week. So progress is pretty much stopped for two weeks.

 

[colindo94]

I have a few questions for all you SAS guys out there.
What are the odds of me having to trim my engine crossmember?
And can some of you school me on hydro assist steering? I was wondering if my stock steering box would work for the drilling and tapping? What would be a good setup? There isn't very much good information on this subject that I can find at least. And the tread that section started seems to have turned into a dead thread.

 

[section525]

You can tap the stock box. I think Rick's is a stocker. I couldn't find much on it either. You may want to see what the Ranger guys are doing on PBB.

My thread is in hibernation.

 

[colindo94]

Gotcha thanks man

 

[Burns]

I didnt have to trim mine much. We trimmed the lip off of it but didnt need to. You prob will be fine. At least i would have been.

I have also been told from a shop in a town away from me that if i would take them a box they would show me where to drill and tap it. So i guess you could. Never taken a box up there.

 

[jrgaylor]

look on fullsizebronco.com for info on tapping your steering box there is alot of those guys running hydro assist, I have had it on my explorer and I plugged taps and took it off I did not like the slowed response on the trail here in the PNW.

 

[colindo94]

Ill trade you power steering boxes, you know since yours isn't in use anymore
Well here are a couple more pictures of the pinion angle and the start of the front. I can't really do anything without the radius arms.

 

[colindo94]

Sorry about the shadows. The driveshaft is at the shop being extended a bit. Will I be able to reuse the front driveshaft or will it also have to be extended?

 

[sn0border88]

does that pinion angle seem really low?